Butterfly: To Protect
by Kosaka
Summary: WufeiCatharine. After Endless Waltz, Wufei questions his reasons for fighting when he runs into Cathy. Is this love, or just an escape from his despair? (First of three in the new "Butterfly" Arc)
1. Chapter One: Reunion

Hi everybody.  Well, I don't know.  In regards to fanfiction, Gundam Wing has always been my first love, but lately every time I write something GW, I feel like, geez, it's been forever since I've written anything for this series.  So, a new and interesting pairing hit me, and I have endeavored, in the absence of my computer, to begin a small gundam project.  This fic will be the first of a trilogy of Wufei/Catharine fics.  Unusual?  Yes.  Is that what I like it?  You bet your pretty little pink panties it is!  Haha.  I doubt anyone has written these two before, but if they have, let me know, I'd love to read them (when I get aforementioned computer back.)

In the meantime, please enjoy this first installment of my "Butterfly" arc.  (Takes place after Endless Waltz, if anyone cares about the timeline…)

**_Standard Disclaimers Apply._**

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**Butterfly:  To Protect**

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**by****: Banshee Puppet**

**Chapter One:  ****Reunion******

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When we first met, it was at my weakest moment.  When we met again, the situation was much the same.

If war had left me angry, then I should say that peace left me hollow.  The unfathomable despair after killing Treize—it was difficult to come to terms with, even as years passed and seasons shifted from one to the next; there was no one worth left fighting, and that, for me, a soldier always, to understand _that_ as my peace…it tormented me.

Sally had invited me to join her in a newly-formed organization—the Preventers, and I had accepted, but in the end it brought me no satisfaction.  They were fighting to protect, and that was a concept I simply could not understand.

During the war, I had only ever fought for justice.  That the fighting would eventually end…

It was a concept that had never crossed my mind.  I simply couldn't fathom it.

My name is Chang Wufei, and I have been, for many years now, a warrior only, a soldier born in battle.  Perhaps there was a time when something else was possible, perhaps, but I have long since passed that point.  And this, then, is where my story begins…

#

_Colony L-2, February 19th, Sunday afternoon, __3:20 p.m.__, A.C. 199_

_#_

The temperature was an imitation of Earth, and there was a slightly bitter chill to the open air market.  Catharine kept her white earmuffs tightly fitted against her head and pulled her scarf up over her nose.

The winter was her least favorite time of year and February, for her, was the worst of it.  She was anxious for March, and with it, the spring thaw.  And, knowing this, Manager had still sent her our of the warmth of her trailer to brave the cold marketplace for food shopping.  The fluffy mittens on her hands had to be removed every time she meant to pay for something.

She was glad when she reached the produce stand, as it meant she was nearly finished.

'Beef stew tonight,' she thought, reaching for a bundle of carrots and thinking warm thoughts.  But at the same moment a black leather glove reached for the same bundle and they touched.  The hand pulled back and reached for another bundle.

"Oh!  I'm sorry!" Catharine apologized, looking up and finding herself startled at who she found.

Ignoring the small encounter, Wufei paid for his carrots, celery, and radish, until the apologetic voice struck a familiar cord and he turned blank ebony eyes upon the figure standing beside him.

'Catharine.'  It took him a moment to recognize her.  She was bundled up like an Eskimo in her white earmuffs, scarf and mittens, her powder blue plush coat—the kind that puffs out all the way around you like a miscolored jumbo marshmallow.

"I thought you boys might be hungry, so I made you some soup."  --She had said that back then, or something like it.

"This may not be the best java," Trowa had told him, and he'd been right, but Wufei didn't mind.

He'd gotten taller.  Oh, not _much_ taller, only an inch or two.  Enough that she noticed she was no longer looking down at him, not particularly, and no more than that.  Otherwise, he hadn't changed much; he still had those same, sad eyes, wore his hair in the same dramatic ponytail.  Today, he wore a long wool coat of the traditional charcoal black and a light gray scarf around his neck, carefully tucked into place.  His face was slightly flushed from the cold.

Catharine pulled her scarf down to her chin so that he could hear her more clearly when she spoke.

"Wufei!  Fancy meeting you here.  Looking as down as ever, I see," she said in that 'cheerful banter' tone she had.

Wufei's eyes narrowed at the entertainer.  "What exactly are you implying?" he asked seriously.

Catharine just chuckled.  "Yup.  Down.  But at least I got you to speak this time!  That's something, right?"

He frowned at her.  What Barton saw in the woman was beyond him.

"Cheer up!" she continued.  "It's a reunion, come on!"  The woman paid for her produce and latched onto his arm, dragging him after her.

She was rude.

"Have you been on L-2 long?" Catharine asked.

"Not particularly," Wufei answered in a disinterested monotone.

Nosy.

"How long will you be staying?"

"What do you care?"

Obnoxiously cheerful.

Catharine stopped and turned to frown at him, hands on hips.  "Your personality could use some improvement," she said dryly.

"So could your fashion sense, but you don't see _me_ complaining," he retorted.

And she had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.  Wait, what?!  That last one didn't follow.

Whoever said there was such a ting as love at first sight was a liar.  Second encounters, however, were another matter entirely.  If Wufei had realized that then, he may have left her at that moment, stranded her as the first snowflakes began to fall.  As it was, he let her drag him home with her.  He wouldn't mind seeing Trowa again, anyway.

#

"Well, look at what the Cat dragged in.  Another stray, little sister?"

The voice came from the rafters and Wufei looked up to see a blond-haired man on a tightrope grinning down at him.  He offered the Chinese man a peace sign.  "Yo."

'Peace?' Wufei thought.  'That has nothing to do with me,' and looked back ahead of him to find Catharine sticking her tongue out at the gymnast.  "Dinner is at six," she told him.

Something caught her eye and before he knew it, the woman was dragging Wufei off again.  'It's just like that time Quatre decided we should all go to the Zoo to relax a bit,' he thought.  Trowa had spent the entire day with the lions; Quatre had stayed with Trowa; Heero didn't deign to show up at all; and Duo spent the day dragging Wufei to every corner of the god-forsaken place—literally.

"Manager," the woman called, snapping the former gundam pilot out of his thoughts.  "Do you remember Wufei?"

The manager looked the man up and down, showing no signs of recognition, of which Wufei was grateful, since he had no recollection of the older man either.

"He's a friend of Trowa's," the girl clarified.

"Ah!" Manager's eyes lit up.  "How _is_ Trowa?"

Wufei looked suddenly confused.  "You mean he isn't here?" he asked.

Catharine frowned.  "He's run off again."

"Then why am I here?" Wufei asked blatantly.

"Idiot," Catharine scolded, slapping his forearm.  "For a reunion, just like I said!  Now come watch me make dinner."

'You've always had such sad eyes, even now, Wufei,' Catharine thought.  'What's made you so sad, I wonder?'  Catharine Bloom knew she was forcing this odd reunion of strangers upon him, but she was sure he must be alone now, Trowa had said once that he was that type of person, and he appeared to be the same now as he had always been.  'But Wufei, aren't you lonely?  You must be; even Trowa was lonely at first.  You have friends here, if you want them, that's all.'

She turned to look at him over her shoulder.  He was removing his coat and scarf in that elegantly disinterested way he had.  He wore a thin cobalt sweater and gray slacks beneath it.

"Oh, here, let me take those," she remembered.  "I'll hang them in the coat closet."  Wufei handed them over silently and watched her disappear from the room.

'Why?' he wondered.  Why was she going to so much trouble to reunite with someone she'd only met once and who hadn't even spoken to her then.  He sat down on the worn couch, pushing his sleeves up to his elbows.

Why.  It was obvious.  He was a friend of Trowa's, supposedly, and she missed the slender European.

'So what do I care?  She's just another bossy woman.  It was too troublesome to say no to her and listen to her argue the matter to death.  He'd stay for dinner and then leave, go back to the room he was renting at the moment, curl up with a book and be left in peace.  Hah, peace, how he hated that word.

Wufei was tired.  He didn't know what he was doing.  He'd simply reached a point where nothing mattered.  He leaned his head back and let his eyes fall closed.

It was at this point when Catharine reentered the small living room/kitchenette.  'My god,' she realized when she saw him sitting there, 'he's grown.'

It seemed almost impossible to go from boy to man in only a few short years, but he had done it.  Somehow, he'd become suddenly handsome and it startled her.  Had Trowa also grown so much?  Would he return so very similar and different from when he left?  'War really is a totally heartless affair,' she thought.

Wufei opened his eyes and slowly lifted his head.  "What?"  And his question was more of a demand.

"Oh, nothing.  It's just that you've gotten tall since I last saw you."

"It's been a long time."

"Yeah, three years, right?  You were just a dumb kid back then…you haven't changed much."

Wufei glared at her, and she chuckled.  No, it was true, Wufei decided, he hadn't changed at all.  'I've killed Treize, fought Heero, and finally, thought I understood peace.  But…I still haven't learned anything.  She's exactly right.'

'Ah, shit, that expression,' Catharine thought.  "Hey, no frowning!" she scolded.  "Didn't anyone ever tell you that reunions are supposed to be happy?"

Wufei stared at her.  'Why?' his eyes demanded of her.  'Why?'

She sighed and shook her head.  What a hopeless guy.  "You don't have anything to prove here, you know," she said before turning her back to him in order to slice the carrots for the stew.

The silence between them extended awkwardly until finally Wufei said, "you're doing it wrong."

"Huh?"

"The carrots.  You're cutting them wrong."

"They're just carrots!" Catharine huffed.

"You aren't cutting them evenly," Wufei walked over.  "So they won't cook evenly.  Use some common sense."

"Hah!  Common sense!  That's rich coming from a Gundam Pilot."

"Former," he corrected taking the carrot from her and slicing it with precise ease.

"Don't be stupid.  You think just because the Gundams are gone that changes who you are?  It didn't change Trowa any and it hasn't changed you."

"Start simmering the meat."

"Huh?"

"The stew, woman."

"Oh, you!  If you don't want to talk about it then just say so."

"There's nothing left to say.  Nataku is dead.  Things have changed."

'And I have not,' he thought.  But he had.  The Wufei of Trowa's stories was not this Wufei beside her now.

"Are you still fighting for justice, Wufei?" she asked.

His eyes shot up to stare at her.  'How did she…?'

"Oh!  Wufei, be careful!" she scolded as she shoved his hand under the faucet.

"What?" he asked, blinking.

"You dummy.  Didn't you even notice that you cut yourself?"

"How did you know about…?"

"Trowa talks about you sometimes.  All of your friends do.  They miss you, Wufei."

The Chinese pilot didn't dignify that with a response as Catharine fussed over and bandaged the tiny knick on his finger.  He forced himself not to laugh when he saw the end result.  One finger with one tiny cut…and enough gauze for the entire hand.  He had a feeling that if he sprained an ankle in her general vicinity he'd wind up with a full-body cast.

"There!  All better!" she announced.

"The meat," Wufei stated.

"Huh?"

"The meat, woman.  You're going to burn it if you don't pay better attention.

"Oh! The meat!" Catharine squeaked, hurrying to care for dinner.  He smirked slightly when her back was turned.  She was amusing, in that comically inept sort of way.

He returned to slicing the carrots after only the briefest of pauses.

"Wufei?"

"What is it?"

"What are you doing now?  You know, since we aren't at war anymore."

"That is undetermined at this point in time," he replied.

"Undetermined?"

"I am between jobs at the moment," he explained.

"Oh!  Well then why not work here for a while?" Catharine decided.  "I could use a cute boy to throw knives at since Trowa is away," she laughed.

"I am not…" he began.

"Oh, I know, I know, you're not cute at all!"

"Woman," he warned.  'Actually I was going to say I'm not a _boy_,' he thought, annoyed with her deprecating sense of humor.

"Oh lighten up a little Wufei!  It's called a sense of humor, get one.  Besides, you'd probably be pretty good-looking if you just smiled more."

Once again, Wufei had been reduced to glaring.

Catharine sighed.  "Will you think about it at least?  It's something to keep you busy for a while.  All you'll have to do is stand very still.  I'm sure you can manage that."

"Stand still while you throw sharp, pointy objects at me.  That's all there is to it?"

"Yup!"

"I _don't_ think so. Your broth is boiling."

"Ooo!  Duo was right!  You're grumpy, anti-social, and extremely mean!" Catharine huffed, turning down the heat under the broth.

"Need I remind you that this little _reunion_ was entirely your idea," he stated calmly, wondering why making her angry was so amusing.

"Give me the carrots!" Catharine demanded as she held out her arm for the cutting board, which he handed over obligingly.

'I totally…I totally hate this guy!' she thought irritably.

Noting Catharine's suddenly frosty demeanor, Wufei wondered, 'Is it something I said?'

#

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Well, I was worried about Catharine being ooc, since I've never tried to write her before, but I think she's okay.  She may try to murder Wufei before this story is over, but meh, he'll probably deserve it!  R&R!


	2. Chapter Two: Dark Chocolate

Thanks to Anarchys Serenity, Kohari, and Adrelliehs for your kind reviews. Adrelliehs, Heero/Sally? I may have to check it out! Man, though, you just reminded me of one of my fav fanfics of all time! It's a Heero/Sally, Wufei/Relena called "The Grass is Always Greener" by Astro. Holy...aw, it's just frickin awesome! I highly recommend it if you haven't read it yet!

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**Butterfly: To Protect**

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**by****: Banshee Puppet**

**Chapter Two: Dark Chocolate**

Despite Catharine's foul mood, dinner had been light and cheerful that night. The entertainers all told one another the most lively stories, and Wufei couldn't help but be silently amused. For the first time in quite a while, he felt at ease.

It had been a week since then, and he had not returned. He saw Catharine in the open air market a few times and once he had deigned to greet her with a simple polite nod…which she glared at and turned away from him. He hadn't realized how quiet his life was until now…and he wasn't sure he liked it.

It bothered him that the woman was so angry at him for something he'd done (especially since he didn't eve know _what_ he'd done!), so he did something very unlike himself. He bought chocolates and a card and left them with the tightrope artist for her.

"Cat, a gift from one of your admiring fans!" he gave the chocolates over to her with a sweeping bow.

"Don't be so dramatic, Michael! Still, it is sweet. I'm going back to my trailer if you need me."

"This one may be a keeper, kit-kat," Michael smirked knowingly as she bundled up and left the heated tent.

Back in her trailer, she shed the extra layers, turned on the kettle to make some coffee and opened the card.

_Catharine,_

_A peace offering.___

_Chang Wufei_

_P.S.—if the job offer still stands, I might not be opposed. (716-5928)_

'Sweet?'Catharine frowned. "I take it back." Still, he _had_ apologized at least.

'Well, he's Trowa's friend. I guess I can at least be civilized…and I can't think of anyone I'd want to throw sharp, pointy objects at more than Wufei,' she thought dryly.

She took out her star-shaped earrings and picked up the phone with an irritated sigh.

He'd been training. It was late, and he mused on how his phone rarely rang, and when it did, it was always at the most troublesome possible moment.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Wufei, is that you?"

The Oriental man's eyes widened. "Catharine?"

"For the record, I prefer dark chocolate," the woman told him.

"I'll keep that in mind." He was glad to hear from her; he didn't know why he was glad to hear from her, but he was, regardless. "What can I do for you?"

"Since you're Trowa's friend, I've decided to give you a second chance at behaving like a human being. If you want the job, come by tomorrow morning."

'She's still mad,' he thought. "Alright. I'll see you in the morning then."

"Fine." Catharine was about to hang up.

"Catharine…"

"What?"

"…goodnight." In truth, he didn't know what he was about to say to her either, but, 'goodnight' was enough, he knew. For now, 'goodnight was plenty.

"Goodnight Wufei," Catharine sighed, and he found himself listening to the dial tone for a few long moments before making any move to separate from the woman on the other end, an image of her decked out like an Eskimo passing through his memory as he returned the phone to the receiver and realized suddenly, "I…like her. In the way that a man likes a woman, I…how stupid, to realize something like that now.'

"Goodnight, Catharine."

#

#

This story is also my experiment of Wufei being the one to pursue a relationship. Haha. It's just something you never see, so I wanted to try and imagine how Wufei would behave if he was trying to get a girl to date him…and then I figured, the girl that Wufei would want to date would probably be as libel to punch him in the nose as kiss him on the lips…so that's the state of mind this chapter came from. Catharine didn't hit him though. In the end, I was really surprised, because I expected it to happen that way. Anyway, this whole thing is typed...but seeing as i have to instigate it in three different places, getting all the chapters up will take a little bit...

see ya soon!

Banshee Puppet


	3. Chapter Three: Black Butterfly

**Butterfly: To Protect**

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**by: Banshee Puppet**

**Chapter Three: Black Butterfly**

Morning. As usual, Wufei woke before dawn, went for a jog and took a shower.

Today was cold, so he dressed in a pair of thick black slacks and a white turtleneck went under his coat and scarf.

His jog had given him time to think, and he decided that, since he was fond of Catharine (for reasons beyond his fathoming), he would simply have to rid her of this idea that he was the world's biggest jerk. The project, he hoped, would distract him from his darker thoughts. Treize, Marimaea, his will to fight… He knew he didn't have to fight anymore, _knew it_, but knowing something and putting it into practice were not the same.

Step one: dark chocolate. She said it was her preference, so he stopped on the way.

#

Catharine threw knife after knife at the target. 'Wont. Kill. Him,' she thought, each word pronounced by a satisfying _thunk_ of knife to wood.

"Catharine."

That voice! The knife slammed into the crotch of her dummy and she winced.

"Promise me you won't do that when I'm standing over there," Wufei stated.

"Why don't you go stand over there and we'll test it out," she grumbled, turning to face him and catching her breath. 'It's true what they say,' she thought, 'all the gorgeous ones are either gay or assholes.' Okay, so she'd modified that cliché a little bit to suit her purposes. Whatever. With his long wool coat open over a white turtleneck and dark slacks, he looked like he should be posing for the cover of a man's fashion magazine, not joining the circus.

He held a small box out for her to take.

"What is this?"

"Dark chocolate," he stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I can see that. But why?"

'Because you said you like it,' he thought. "I thought I was supposed to 'act like a human being,'" he replied.

In the rafter, Michael was grinning foolishly. 'Ah, the budding of a new romance. It's only right. The thaw will come soon.'

"Acting human and buying chocolate are two different things," Catharine said, confused. 'Does he really not even understand _that much_?'

Wufei just shrugged. 'It's because I like you,' he thought. "Shouldn't we get to work?"

"Ah right! We have to fit your costume," Catharine remembered.

Wufei raised an eyebrow elegantly. "I don't have to wear clown shoes, do I?"

"Yes."

"And those ridiculous pants?"

Catharine nodded. The deeper Wufei's frown got, the happier it made her.

"That frilly…neck thing…?"

He winced as she nodded happily.

"We're going to refit Trowa's old costume for you. It should fit pretty well," she said happily.

'Why me?' Wufei thought. He wasn't even able to be pissed off about it, since he'd done it to himself. 'At least _she's_ happy about it,' he thought dryly. That line of thinking was little comfort though as the word "sadist" tumbled off his tongue unintentionally.

"What did you just call me?"

"Uh…" Crap. He was terrible at lying and even worse at improv. He took the direct approach. Always. Well, always until now, because she'd be pissed again and… "I said…I meant…"

Catharine couldn't help but enjoy his stumbling.

He groaned. "I must be a masochist," he complained finally. "Let's just get this over with."

"Okay!" Catharine beamed. "Time to play dress-up!"

##

"Should we really be endorsing Catharine's torture tactics?" Michael chuckled.

Manager just sighed. "I'm afraid there's no helping it," he said.

#

An hour later, Catharine said, "just have to put on the final touches," as she brought the clown white makeup towards the Chinaman's face.

Wufei caught her hand and stopped her. He could endure only so much.

"Why not give me a body bag instead," he stated. 'Because I think I'm about to die of humiliation,' he thought.

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because if I have to wear this ridiculous shirt for a moment longer I'm going to suffocate!" he elaborated, standing and stomping his foot. There was only so much a guy could bear, and Wufei had taken enough in the past hour for the next five years. "Now, I'll wear the stupid shoes, the itchy pans, this _ridiculous_ collar. I might even tolerate this shirt that's two sizes too small, but I will_ not_ in this life or any other, wear makeup!" the martial artist insisted. He took a breath. "Now I took a job in which a stubborn woman who hates me is permitted to throw knives at me on a regular basis. However, I have not, in any way, shape, or form, agreed to subject myself to ritual torture, you sadistic little…!" This is where Wufei decided to bite his tongue and resume his own ritual: glaring.

Catharine stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded. "So…no makeup?" she asked finally, looking downright innocent.

"No!" he demanded, trying not to laugh, but unable to hide a small smirk. "Most certainly not." He fumbled with the frilly collar, but couldn't find the latch, and Catharine had to help him.

"You almost laughed," she teased. She found she couldn't stay angry with him when he looked this silly.

"I did not."

"You _so_ did," she giggled. Trowa's old costume didn't suit him at all, to be honest. She'd underestimated the size of his torso and overestimated the width of his slim hips. He was more slender than Trowa was now that he'd grown and filled out with muscle, but not as slender as Trowa at fifteen had been. And he was shorter than Trowa was then, even now.

She was cute when she was laughing, even at his expense.

"Never mind. Help me out of this stupid little shirt before I suffocate," he barked irritably, unable to get out of the 'torture device' without assistance.

Catharine laughed. "Haha. Okay okay. Stop looking so helpless. It's too funny."

"Sadist," he complained half-heartedly again.

"Arms up!" she said cheerfully.

Obediently, for once, (primarily because escaping the small shirt was his top priority right now) he lifted his arms. But as her fingers slid up the bare skin of his sides, an unexpected butterfly reaction took place in his abdomen. Startled by it, he stepped slightly, and unused to the clown shoes, tripped both of them. They swayed, tumbled, and crashed, Catharine landing on top of him. Even after this, it took him a moment to free his head of the tight material, his hair coming partially undone for his efforts.

This is the scene that Michael and Manager walked in on. A dressing table knocked over, Catharine was lying atop a very disheveled Wufei, arms tangled in his shirt above his head, face brightly flushed, and looking quite surprised.

"So _that's_ your type Cat!" Michael teased.

Manager could piece together easily what had actually happened, but didn't choose to comment. "Get this cleaned up and show him around. Michael make him something that will fit."

The duo stumbled to their feet and the tightrope walker let out a low whistle. The muscles moving beneath the former pilot's skin were obvious.

"Are you a dancer, by any chance, Wufei?" Michael asked.

"A martial artist," Wufei corrected.

"Okay! Then I have an idea!" He slapped Wufei's ass as he passed by, earning a glare, and raising his hands in surrender. "We might get you up in the rafters yet!" Michael laughed.

Catharine blushed while Wufei was busy fending off the overly exuberant Michael. The subtle ripples of muscle in Wufei's chest and stomach rippled with each word, each breath, like there was a series of coiling, tiny snakes hidden just beneath his skin. 'God, he's so beautiful,' she thought, then shook it off. "Well okay, get changed. Tour time," she said finally.

Gladly, Wufei decided, she didn't seem mad at him anymore. It was a small step, but at least it was moving forward instead of in reverse.

#

It was four hours later and just after a group lunch that Michael, the infamous, ass-slapping gymnast, dragged Wufei off for the final fitting.

"I thought you'd appreciate something a little closer to Trowa's newer costume (A/N: from Endless Waltz…no goofy clown pants or ruffly collar. Much more yummy. hehe), since it lacks the frills and you're more of a macho man than he is." Wufei wasn't really certain how he should take that. "And since you're a martial artist, I thought we could show you off a little!" Michael beamed. That one Wufei knew how to take, and it made him nervous. He was fairly sure he didn't like the sound of that at all! Even so, considering what he almost had to wear, he figured he'd come out on top with spandex and satin. It was a white spandex crop top with sleeves that just passed the shoulders and just barely touched the top of his abs. The pants were a solid split of loose satin, midnight blue on the right, shiny gold on the left, and a black belt and suspenders decorated with gold glitter that rubbed off when he touched it. He felt foolish. And to that a half-mask, not like Trowa's, but halved the other way, from top to bottom, and painted on the left side, dancing over to the right, a large black and gold butterfly, decorated with rhinestones, and the look was complete, but that Michael made him take out his ponytail, leaving tendrils framing his jaw with a semi-half ponytail bound back only to make it less troublesome for him. The satin pants had an elastic ankle and for shoes, black, something remotely akin to a ballerina's slipper, and though hardly his first choice, much improved upon the clown shoes. Still, he felt foolish, though it was worth it for the gape-mouthed look on Catharine's face when Michael announced, "I give you, ladies and gentlemen, my latest work of artistic brilliance, Wufei, the Black Butterfly."

Obviously, Wufei felt little like a butterfly, but he kept reminding himself, it could be worse. Of course, it could also be better—he could wear normal underwear (He was having trouble getting used to this sadistic invention known as a thong.).

'Who knew that a circus costume could be so damn sexy!' Catharine thought. If only his personality matched that body, she mused, it could be love.

#

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Well, first I would like to say….Wufei in a thong! Haha. I soo couldn't resist! I must shamelessly humiliate my favorite g-boy at every opportunity, after all. Of all the boys to join the circus, Wufei is really the last one you'd think of…but…it still works! Ah, the trials of love. Hehe. Sorry! I'm excited because I'm finally paying a fortune and getting my computer back tonight! I could do without the paying a fortune…and the having to reinstall like, every program I use, but I'll have my pc back and finally be able to get some work done, so yay! I'm such a lazy bum when I'm pc-less, seriously. I fall asleep re-watching all my favorite anime and movies…which is fine in the evening, but when you're doing it BEFORE work, this is a problem!

Anyway, r&r. See ya on the flipside!

Banshee Puppet


	4. Chapter Four: Tiger Love

_Thanks To Anarchys Serenity and Wren for your kind reviews. (I hope you scare you're bunny in this chapter too Wrennie winks)_

**Butterfly: To Protect**

**by****: Banshee Puppet**

**Chapter Four: Tiger Love**

You could learn a lot about a person from their eyes. Catharine Bloom had always known it, but there were different ways of knowing. There was the knowing that you did with the mind and there was the knowing that you did in the moment, as you stood there, knife in hand and waiting to fly.

It took guts to be _that_ clown, but the Gundam Pilots all had guts to spare.

Watching Wufei stand perfectly still against the thick boards, the crowd's cheering not yet fully dulled from the first knife's, as usual, perfect aim, slammed into the boards near his right hip, she couldn't help but wonder what brought him here now, not to L-2 in the middle of a cold February where the heated tent of a circus was the only form of escape from the harsh winter, but to this circus, against those boards, letting go of his legendary pride to play the role of "clown". _That_ is the "here" that Catharine was curious about.

His eyes didn't hold a prayer for death as Trowa's had, so long ago. There was something else in that endless obsidian, something much quieter, with something in them so straight-forward…not the eyes of a lion like Trowa's were—these were not the eyes of a man who would spend a life taming beasts. No, Wufei, she had learned quickly, was not so patient. He was a beast himself, untamed and possibly untamable. He was called the solitary dragon, she knew, but she had never met a dragon. Instead, she remembered that they had had a tiger once, a cub who lost its mother at only a few weeks old in the wild. Having no real human contact in the first year of its life, it had become skiddish around people, determined to survive on its own. They'd eventually had no choice but to set it free to keep it from killing itself with stubbornness. Wufei reminded her a bit of that tiger. She wondered if it had lived through the cold winter now. 'That tiger survived, definitely,' she told herself for many years.

But forget the tiger. THUNK. Wufei's eyes were reaching, desperately reaching, trying to say something. THUNK THUNK.

Two knives slammed over either shoulder. He was a good target; he didn't' flinch at all. No, those eyes weren't praying for death as Trowa's had been at all. More true, it seemed, was that death had lost all meaning to them. A tired soul, she saw there, one for which grief was heavy and all words had been exhausted.

'Oh Wufei…'

But there was something else there, as their eyes locked for a moment, that she couldn't place immediately. As the last two knives thunked into the wood to either side of his head, ruffling his hair slightly from the impact, she suddenly realized, 'Wufei, is there someone…that you love? That's it, isn't it?' That longing couldn't possibly be anything else.

Wufei was awed by her. Even as the two clowns helped him down from the target, he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just witnessed the most amazing thing in the world. After the second knife, he had no worry at all that he might be hit. For this sort of job, he understood, he had to do something he'd never done before—trust—to trust her completely, even if she hated him, even if she killed him, even if none of this made any sense and he had no idea what he was doing (other than most certainly _not_ acting like himself), even then, he could not help but be in awe of her skill as he played the part and bowed to the audience.

#

Backstage, he removed the mask and placed it on the dressing table, reached up to remove the clips from his hair and grab a brush and elastic to pull it back into it's customary ponytail. After a long pause, he spoke.

"Where did you learn how to do that?"

"From the person who used to do it," Catharine answered, turning to face him and leaning back against her own dressing table, stricken by the smooth hair hanging into his face. "Manager adopted me after my family died. I've had a lot of time to learn things and the previous knife-thrower was getting old, wanted to retire, so that's what I was taught."

"Oh." 'Sorry for asking,' he thought. And the woman understood.

"What about you? Standing still so easily, from your kung fu?"

"I suppose so," Wufei replied. "You know a bit about kung fu?"

"I think Trowa said you studied it for a very long time, but I don't really know much about it, no. It's been very many years?"

"Most of my life."

"It's like me and the knives then."

"It would appear so," he replied.

"Well, it's not so bad, right?" Catharine said cheerfully. "I won't be throwing knives at you forever!"

"I should hope not."

#

Michael looked at Manager and smirked knowingly. "It seems as if it's warming up at last!" he joked. "I think the spring thaw will probably come in suddenly this year," he chuckled.

"It just might."

"What do you think of it all, Manager?"

"I think the crowd is more entertained when Catharine's target is a handsome young man. Now stop being so nosy. You're up next."

"Aye aye Cap'n! I shall not abandon ship!" the gymnast saluted and ran off.

"Maybe I should have hired him as a clown instead," Manager sighed. Some people just never learned.

##

Well, not a lot of humor in this chapter. There should be more in the next one though! Only two more chapters to upload. Oh! I feel I should let you know in advance that there will be two separate versions of chapter 6. I'll explain when I post that one...


	5. Chapter Five: Cannon Fodder

_Anarchys Serenity: Thanks, he's silly. And I have a regular reviewer yay! I feel loved. Haha. In regard to the tightrope...it's a good idea, sadly i already wrote all of "to protect"...but I think you'll like what I decided to torture wuffles with in this chapter anyway!_

**_Special Author's Note: The next and final chapter of "To Protect", the first of the Butterfly Arc, has TWO separate versions. The first, which will be posted at , is the tamer of the two. The version I will be posting at is the lemon version. At my personal website ), both versions will be posted as available for reading and clearly marked. Which version you choose to read I leave up to you. ...just so you know._**

**Butterfly: To Protect**

**by****: Banshee Puppet**

**Chapter Five: Cannon Fodder**

It had been three months since Wufei had joined the circus, and Catharine's hate of him seemed to have abated as quickly as it had arrived. She was still stubborn, moody, and couldn't believe that Wufei might know anything about anything outside of fighting and flying, but Wufei figured that women were just like that.

In short, she drove him up one wall and down the other at times, but the more she got under his skin, the more he wanted to keep her there. And yet…Oh, and yet…

He bound his hair back easily (having become quickly accustomed to the manner of it) and heaved a mental sigh. 'I really am such a coward about certain things. Maybe she's right. Maybe outside of the battlefield I don't really know anything at all.'

He was early and pinched the bridge of his nose as his soft mental sigh became audible. "What am I doing here?" he wondered aloud, fingering the porcelain mask.

Three months. He had made up his mind to work hard to make Catharine fond of him, as he was of her, but since buying the chocolates, he had done little, and since traveling to L-1 with the circus, and the first hatchings of spring, he'd done even less.

"Getting your skinny little ass out there, I should hope."

Wufei turned. He knew that voice. He also knew that aforementioned 'skinny little ass' was getting slapped if he didn't get it guarded, and quick.

"Michael. What is it?"

"Always so professional!" Michael wailed. "Aren't you here for the girl?" he asked as if it were perfectly obvious.

Wufei's eyes widened in surprise, but mostly that was making his utter horror.

"Relax man," Michael laughed. "She doesn't know. You haven't given her any signs. But if that's why you're here, then at least be honest with yourself about it. Now get out there, isn't today your big shot?"

Wufei put his mask on, thinking dryly, 'no pun intended, I'm sure.' "Don't say it like that. I'm still not certain why I let you convince me to get shot out of a cannon anyway."

"Are you having second thoughts? You were great in practice."

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't have second thoughts. I thought it was stupid then, and now I'm positive that it's stupid. Other than that…does this outfit have to be so tight?" Wufei glared at the black and gold spandex jumpsuit in the mirror. "I never thought I'd miss those idiotic suspenders," he grumbled. The spandex hugged every coiling muscle, left little to the imagination.

"Can't risk the pants getting caught on anything," Michael replied.

'Yeah yeah. I know that,' Wufei thought, but outwardly, he simply grunted and walked out to get the show over with.

#

"It takes a confident man to wear spandex!" Duo chirped.

"How confident is he? He's wearing a mask," Heero quipped back.

"Confident enough to get shot out of a cannon. Now be nice!" Relena said.

"Isn't that just reckless?" Duo asked.

"We need to use words that Heero will understand," Relena teased.

"Hey!"

"What do you think Hilde?" Duo asked his girlfriend.

"I think he has a nice body, but no ass," she stated frankly.

"Hilde!" Relena blushed on behalf of women everywhere.

"Shh. Hey, it's the same guy Catharine was throwing the knives at, I think," Duo realized. "Trowa is off with Quatre again I guess."

Relena nodded. "Quatre's really needed the extra pair of hands around the office lately, and Trowa isn't well-suited to staying in one place for very long. Quatre keeps calling him 'my favorite gypsy'. Haha. Trowa gets so annoyed!" Relena saw more of those two than anyone else these days, given her position as Vice Foreign Minister, and Quatre's at the head of Winner Enterprises. But since she finally had some leisure time, managed to escape work for the afternoon, and they were all on the same colony for once, they had decided to come to the circus and visit Catharine.

Heero's eyebrow arched as the performer was shot upwards, streamlining into a series of flips and twists. They were not gymnastic as Trowa's were. They did not have the same sinuous elasticity, and it was a grace of a different sort. These flips, born of necessity instead of beauty, displayed strength—thighs coiling, abs flexing, arms following a central line of motion. He'd seen movement like that before.

The performer made a landing that looked easy and effortless, absorbing the shock through the balls of his feet into his calves and thighs. 'He moves like Wufei. I bet he's a martial artist,' Heero thought.

#

The crowd bellowed cheers at him. 'Phew. Not dead,' Wufei thought after performing the reckless stunt, just as he had after every practice of it.

Actually, he was thinking, 'Phew. Not dead,' quite a bit lately.

After the show he had to help pull down the props. It was his turn.

When he returned behind the tent curtain to the dressing area, he grumbled, "I thought I was going to die."

"Relax Wufei, you did fine!" Catharine waved it off like it was nothing while four faces stared in shock at the man who, in idle irritation put his mask on the nearest dressing table.

"Next time, _you_ get shot out of the cannon and _I'll_ throw the knives," he barked.

"Okay, but no complaining about the skirt," she retorted, earning another glare and a grumble before the Chinese man notice four of his friends standing with her.

'Oh…crap…' He could swear he could hear a toilet flushing. Oh, wait, no. That was just his reputation going down the drain.

Duo blinked. He blinked again….And then he fell to the floor clutching his stomach and laughing hysterically.

Wufei glared at the braided baka, yanked one of the bobby pins from his hair and chucked it at his friend, which only made the self-proclaimed shinigami laugh harder.

Finally, Heero managed to ask the obvious question as the spandex-clad Wufei pulled the remaining clips aggressively from his hair. "Wufei…what are you doing here?"

"Having pointy objects thrown at me and getting shot thirty feet in the air. Isn't it obvious? Maxwell, stop laughing or I swear I'm dressing you in that plastic nurse's costume," Wufei said, pointing at the white mega-mini and barely existent halter top with the matching shiny white hat, "and shaving your legs in your sleep," he threatened.

Duo clapped his hands over his mouth and honestly_ tried_ to stop. He was _not_ wearing the nurse's costume.

"I think Heero meant to ask you why," Relena clarified as politely as possible. She was just as dumbfounded as the boys were, and Hilde was just speechless.

"…A job is a job," he stated. He knew it wasn't even remotely close to the truth and wondered why Catharine was being so quiet. It wasn't like her to not take the opportunity to throw barbs at him when given an opening. She wasn't even looking at him long enough to scold him for being rude or slap him (as she _did_ have a tendency towards doing.)

"Michael. Zipper," Wufei barked at the blonde man who, silently for once, did so.

Wufei walked into the small changing trailer grumpily.

Catharine finally let out her breath. Wufei had looked…well…edible, though she was loathe to admit it.

"Michael, was all that really necessary?" she asked, proud of how steady her voice sounded.

"You mean you didn't like it?" he asked innocently.

#

"Why are you really here?" Heero asked. He'd slipped into the trailer while the others were occupied.

"What do you care?" Wufei returned casually.

"It isn't like you, this sort of thing," Heero stated. "I can't figure out what you're trying to accomplish."

"I'm not trying to accomplish anything, Yuy. That's the difference." Wufei sounded bored with the conversation. "Treize is dead. I don't have to fight anymore."

'Wufei…but, even that doesn't explain why you're here,' Heero thought. "Is that why you left the Preventers?"

"…something like that, yes."

They stood in silence for a while. The answer was close enough to true that Wufei didn't feel his honor lapsing for not being entirely blunt.

There was a certain chemistry among the five pilots—who you talked to, who you fought beside, who understood you better than anyone else, who could comfort you with even the smallest gesture…

For Wufei, these were four very different people. In battle, it was Duo he would choose to have by his side—they fought the same way, with all of themselves, saving nothing for the next battle, without a single thought of tomorrow, without reservations or regrets, for justice and to punish evil, and consequences be damned. For conversation, it was Trowa, ever since—ever since the first time he had failed to kill Treize, really. For confessions, the same. For comfort, it was Quatre, though the Oriental pilot would never admit it. The blonde Arabian's presence could put his worried mind at ease. But it was now and had always been Heero Yuy who understood him best. And it was Heero for whom, in so many instances, words were extraneous and unnecessary.

'Wufei, you're still nothing more than a lost soldier, aren't you? You can't find peace and you haven't found anything to protect.' "I understand," Heero stated, and without a further word, left the solitary dragon to his thoughts.

#  
#

I think I may have to dub this the "let's humiliate Wufei" fic...haha. Poor guy, but I can't help it! One more to go in this one. The next story in the arc is not complete, but will be entitled "Butterfly: Black Wings". I hope to finish it within the next week or two, but once again, I'm writing many stories at once, so we'll see.


	6. Chapter Six: Before This Love

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT CHAPTER SIX:(again)

There are two separate versions of this chapter. One of them is a lemon. Here is how this is going to work. I will be posting the non-lemon chapter on I will be posting the lemon chapter on BOTH versions will be posted on my ), with the non-lemon being "chapter six, version 1" and the lemon being "chapter six, version 2" with the difference clearly marked. Dependant upon what you want to read depends on where to read it. I don't personally believe that one version is worse than another, but I wanted to leave the choice to my readers. Other than the lemon portion of the chapter, there are no other differences in the two, and the story ends exactly the same.

****

**Butterfly: To Protect**

**By: Banshee Puppet**

**Chapter Six: Before This Love_(_**_version 1)_

Weeks passed, months. The travel was leisurely and Wufei became more and more accustomed to his new, eccentric friends and the life of a performer.

And also, despite constant bickering, he became more and more attached to Catharine, more and more enamored by her. Even at the expense of his sanity, he couldn't separate himself from her. 'Is this…am I…do I…love her? Is that why I can tolerate all her little annoying habits—her sarcasm, terrible cooking, the way she picks at her nails with her throwing knives…don't these irritating things only endear me to her more? …and she leaves the cap off the toothpaste—that drives me nuts.'

He sighed slightly, leaning against the trailer he was currently sharing with Michael (who snored, by the way). It was little more than a bunk bed and stove, but it was only used for sleeping anyway.

"Wufei," a voice called to him, female, and one he would know anywhere. "We need to talk."

"Is that so?" Wufei didn't feel like talking. He couldn't think of a single thing that needed to be said that they hadn't already hashed out. The reason Sally had come: there could only be one reason she'd come—The Preventers.

"Une and I want to know when you're coming back to work."

"I have no intention of returning. As you can see, I've found a new job."

"It's fine to say that, but aren't you being selfish?"

"How dare you say that!" Wufei barked at her. "Haven't I given you people enough already?!" he demanded.

"…Wufei…" she trailed off.

"I've decided to stop fighting. Why can't you just leave me alone!" he continued angrily. 'Just leave me be,' he thought, 'let me stay here, by her side. That's not selfish, is it? Hah, yeah, it's totally selfish, but I don't care right now.'

"Because you're needed!" Sally snapped back. "Because with or without _Nataku_," she practically spat out the word, "you are now what you've always been—a Gundam Pilot." 'And because you'll never be happy like this.'

"Come back to work, Wufei. People's lives are at stake. Or has your sense of justice come to mean so little to you?"

She'd pressed the wrong button. "Sally," he growled. She knew she shouldn't have gone there, that Wufie's need for justice was drowning him in guilt as it was, but… 'We're desperate, Wufei. He's a terrorist and he won't agree to speak with anyone but you,' she thought.

"Please think about it. We'll be leaving the colony at 07:15 tomorrow morning." 'Please come back, Wufei. Please.'

"I it," he finally said. "Let me be for now, woman." 'I need to think.'

#

He'd been fighting with that woman. She was wearing a military uniform, Preventers, if Catharine's memory served her right.

"Excuse me," Catharine asked. "What business do you have with him?"

"He's my partner," Sally answered. "Or used to be. I don't know, maybe he still is," the woman sighed. "That stupid guy hasn't changed at all," she complained. "Sorry, I have to go now."

"Sure."

'Your partner, Wufei, is that all? She seemed…is something more…is she the one you're living for, the one you love? Are you going to leave, now that I've finally decided that I want to keep you here with me, always?'

#

Wufei looked over the paperwork that Sally had left with him for the tenth time.

"Lin Pao. What are you up to this time?" he wondered. With a disgruntled snort, he put the file absentmindedly into a duffel bag that still lay open. He wasn't going. He wasn't going anywhere—because this is where Catharine was. Sally was wrong; they would be fine on their own, right? Yeah, it would be fine. He didn't have any reason left to fight.

When he looked up, he found Catharine there, looking at him with a concerned expression. "Are you going somewhere, Wufei?"

'Lin is not the type of man to do things halfway. He wouldn't take over a satellite for no reason.'

"No," he replied. "Just packing away some things that I won't be needing anymore."

Relief flooded through Catharine. "That's good. I saw you arguing with a woman today. I thought it might be something important."

"Not really," he answered, but his pitifully tormented eyes told another story as he placed a uniform into the same bag. It was the same as that woman had been wearing, with the Preventers insignia emblazoned on the sleeve.

"You were a Preventer, Wufei?"

He paused at the word—Preventer. Had he ever prevented anything? He didn't know.

Lin was probably angry at the ESUN for its decision not to rebuild L-5. Many people had been upset, but in the end, it simply wasn't sensible to do so. Even Wufei understood that. He'd signed off on the final report himself. If what Lin wanted was revenge, would anyone be save? Would Catharine be safe? There was no telling where she might be when Lin Pao or some other maniac decided to drop a satellite, or start shooting up a marketplace, or…

"…I was different then," he answered finally.

"Well, people change," she said understandingly as she watched him carefully put the uniform away. It was obvious that there was a long memory attached to the stiff cotton for him. "Anyway, dinner is ready now," she said as if it were an offering.

"I'm not very hungry tonight, and I want to finish this, if it's all the same."

"Yeah. Sure. I'll explain to the others."

"… …. … …thank you."

'If Catharine were hurt because I didn't go back…I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for that,' he realized. And so, he prepared to say goodbye to this life. He would leave late that night…

…but first, one last look at Catharine, one last memory of her calming face. She slept peacefully, with a slightly crinkled brow, her lips slightly parted.

Beautiful.

His heart pounded in his chest and he couldn't stop his feet from carrying him into the room, looking down at her. 'I love you, and I'm sorry,' he thought as his body, of it's own volition, sat on the edge of her bed, leaned over her.

The shifting of the bed woke the woman. "Wufei?" she asked, blinking up into those long-suffering eyes.

"I am sorry," he whispered before pressing his lips against hers, letting his eyes fall closed. She was surprised at first, but then thrilled. 'He feels the same as I do,' she understood too late, and tangled her arms around his neck. They didn't need words anymore, eyes speaking volumes of longing love to one another. They knew what was coming. It was fast. If looking objectively, it was fast, but it was like they had been waiting all of their lives for something this honest to consume them.

He tilted her chin up and kissed along her jaw, running calloused fingers along the smooth arc of her hip. She felt like she was being worshipped, his every touch a silent prayer. Such slow, burning desire in his eyes, as if he hoped the night would never end, and as he held himself naked over her, she tended to hold the same hope. He was stubborn, obstinate, prideful, but also very gentle, so very loving in this moment as they made love. And he told her he was walking away from the other life, before the circus, before this love. And it was so warm, falling asleep in his strong arms.

#

It was early when Wufei moved carefully from bed, hardly dawn. "Wufei?" Catharine asked groggily. He leaned over and kissed her temple. "I'm just going to the restroom. Go back to sleep."

"Mnkay. Come back to bed soon."

She let go and the pang in his chest made him lose a breath. She was asleep again almost instantly, curling into her pillow to soak up the missing warmth, and he took his bag from the corner, showered and dressed in a black uniform that he never thought he'd wear again, but which felt strangely natural, like sitting down to a home-cooked meal after living off of soup and instant noodles for a month.

Catharine would be furious, he knew, and it was painful knowing he was going to leave her behind, maybe forever, but there was work to do, and he couldn't run away, for her sake.

Gently, not disturbing the crumpled bed, he placed the butterfly mask on the cooling side of the bed he had occupied the night before. 'This part of me, will _always_ be yours,' he thought. 'Always beside you. But, I am afraid, that is all I have to give.' And he slipped out of the trailer, away from the circus, and to the docking bay where he knew Sally would be waiting.

"Forgive me, Catharine," he whispered, looking over his shoulder only once.

#

Sally looked surprised to see him, but smiled. "You came back."

"Don't look so surprised. You always knew I would."

"What changed your mind?"

"It's like you said—" he sighed as if it were obvious. "—there are things we want to protect in this world. I'll fight for that."

"Wufei…you've finally found something to…"

"What are our stats?" he asked in his 'strictly business' tone.

'I understand,' Sally thought. 'Let's not talk about it.'

'Yes,' Wufei thought. 'You're right, Sally. I have finally found something to protect, something to love.'

**The End**

#

Well, the first fic ends a little sadly, but not in a way that is sad without hope, I think. I think this ending gives the feeling that redemption is possible, that we haven't reached the ending of a love story, but the beginning of one. Anyway, as I've stated, there will be two more fics to follow this one. The next will be entitled "Butterfly: Black Wings". It hasn't been written yet, as that one, unlike this one, has a plot outside of the love stuff, so I need to brainstorm it out a bit. But watch for it!


End file.
